BE STRONG IN FAITH

To be strong in faith is to continually strengthen your faith with the truth of God's Word. It is to allow God to lead you through seasons where you are trained in His Word to truly trust Him, and let His Word become the final say in every aspect of your life. It is also being determined to stand on the Word, come what may. Instead of living in worry, stress, anxiety, fear, and doubt, we can live a lifestyle filled with great faith everyday.

Reference: Luke 21:25-26 King James Version (KJV) 'For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.'

If you are really observing the current situation of things in the nations of the world, you'll notice that end-time prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes. In our referenced Scripture, Paul also speaks of this time: "When they say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them". Here Paul explained that many would live satisfactorily and securely, boasting, "We've achieved tremendous success and magnificent peace. Everything is going along just fine." Yet, at the very moment everyone feels so, destruction comes. Suddenly, the security they cherished vanishes and society is overwhelmed by fear.

But for Christians, born of God and His Word, we are not to entertain any atom of fear because Jesus already informed us in Luke 21:25-26 (KJV) saying, 'And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.' And God's purpose behind all of these is to "fulfil all His good pleasure and establish the work of faith by His power". In line with this truth, Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 1:11 (ESV), "To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfil every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power" In other words, Paul was praying, reminding us that we are being called to fulfil every work of faith by power - not a weak faith but strong faith that demonstrates the power of Christ.

Beloved, this present age is not a time for weak faith. God has called us to stand tall and be fearless in the midst of a dreadful world by engaging the power of strong faith. How? Start by making faith declarations consistently. The Bible says, 'For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith' (1 John 5:4 KJV). Yes you can rest assured that as sons and daughters of the kingdom of God, the power of God is resting upon you mightily. Such power may not always be apparent on a grand scale demonstration of faith, but it is continually demonstrated through the Spirit of God at work in our lives in many simple ways. Therefore be strong in faith, maintain a quiet spirit, keep smiling in the face of any opposition and adversity, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).

Just in case you are sometimes astonished, our heavenly Father is not taken unawares by any event happening in the world today. All was predestined to happen and He shared it with us in the Word. Therefore, when the world is staggering on the wheels of uncertainty and distress, with mounting pressures on every side, God is training us as faithful soldiers, so we can become His armies against the end-time forces of evil, who can successfully endure trials and emerge victorious as overcomers with a strong faith. Praise God.

Scripture Reading: Joshua 1:9; Deuteronomy 31:6; Matthew 21:21; 1 Corinthians 16:13.

Guided Prayer: Thank you Father that your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. Through your Word, I receive the right knowledge to build and strengthen my faith daily. Applying the Word to my life deepens my walk with you in the midst of adversity and energises my spirit to walk in victory and dominion over Satan and forces of darkness in this world. Therefore I maintain strong and unwavering faith, irrespective of crisis of life in Jesus' Name, Amen.